Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Misdiagnosed In recent years, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has become a very common disorder. As a result, people and doctors have raised the question, is this disorder being over diagnosed? If you were to ask people this question many would think the answer is yes. People think this is true because of the drug companies “aggressive marketing epidemic”. This epidemic involves drug companies trying to educate people, specifically doctors, parents, and teachers on how to spot symptoms of ADHD in children. Therefore, making people assume that doctors are over diagnosing to gain more profit off the drug companies stimulants. (Frances) Although this idea seems to be a pretty logical explanation, there is not enough evidence to pin point a direct correlation between the “aggressive marketing epidemic” and doctors’ profits contributing to over diagnoses. (Frances) Although now that we understand Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is not over diagnosed, we can see there actually is a problem with diagnosing. This problem is misdiagnosing. Misdiagnosing pertaining to ADHD means that there are several cases where people have all the symptoms of this disorder but are not actually diagnosed and the opposite; people are diagnosed with ADHD who actually do not have it. Misdiagnosing accrues for mainly three reasons; the definition of ADHD is too broad, the growing emphasis on educational achievements, and errors in diagnosing methods. Understanding why Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is misdiagnosed we start by looking at the definition of this disorder, which is “a disorder characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention and or hyperactivity” (Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine). The definition can contribute to misdiagnosing because the symptoms that go with this disease are too broad. They are too broad in the sense that several other disorders can be linked to the same symptoms. Statistics show that “75% of children with ADHD have the same symptoms for several other disorders such as conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, depression, dipolar disorder, anxiety, learning disorders, and language-based disorders” (Connor). Therefore, several children are being misdiagnosed with ADHD when they could very well have another type of disorder. Not only do the symptoms effect the definition being too broad but also the misconceptions that ADD, Attention Deficit Disorder is a disorder of its own. ADD is not a separate disorder from ADHD; it is actually part of it. ADD is part of ADHD because it goes along with one of the three types of ADHD. The three types are Predominantly Inattentive, Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive, and a combination of the two: Predominantly Inattentive Type, which is ADD, is defined as an individual who has difficulty in organizing or finishing a task, paying attention to detail, or following instructions. Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type is geared more toward your traditional ADHD patient who fidgets, excessively talks, cannot sit still for long periods of time, and interrupts people. Lastly, the combined type is someone who has equal depiction of symptoms for both types (“Facts About ADHD”). Inevitably, since ADD is a disorder within a disorder statistics of people having ADHD seem to be significantly increasing. ADD being apart of ADHD clearly lead to people thinking that the disorder is being over diagnosed. There are other factors that contribute to ADHD being misdiagnosed; one of these being the new way our society determines the success of people. This new way of evaluating success is by looking at how great a person’s educational achievements are. How does this new standard for success have any part of the ADHD diagnosing problem? Marcia Clemmitt explained it this way, “over the past half-century, success in American culture has been increasingly defined in terms of educational achievement. It may not be surprising,...

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...﻿Psychology 105
March 03, 2013
Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)
Through constant reminders to complete simple task, and feelings of disappointment are a few of the much emotional turmoil that a child goes through with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). Besides the inability to complete task and the feeling of disappointment, kids living with ADHD have to continuously communicate with the people they live with. Living with a child that has ADHD is just as hard as having ADHD yourself.
Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder has three categories; combined (most common type), inattentive (known as ADD) and hyperactive-impulsive (hyperactivity without attention). Inattentive has the following symptoms: does not pay close attention to details often makes simple mistakes, has trouble paying attention, appears not listen, problems with following instructions or directions, difficulties in organization, tries to work on things that require a lot of mental effort, very distracted, loses things and forgetfulness’s. Hyperactive-impulsive contains the following symptoms: fidgety with hands or feet, cannot sit down or squeamish, runs around or climbs on everything, constant running around, inability to stay quite during activities, keeps talking like a motor install on him/her, interrupts others, and blurts out answers before the questions have been completed. Combined is...

...That question is the essence of ADHD. ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. ADHD is defined as a “persistent pattern of inattention and / or hyperactivity-impulsivity that is more frequent and severe than is typically observed in individuals at a comparable level of development (APA, p. 78).” Since there is an abundance of information concerning this topic, this paper will focus on the nature and effects of ADHD, highlighting cognitive and genetic research, while taking into consideration the role of culture.
Nature of ADHD
The clinical history of the behavioral syndrome underlying the ADHD diagnosis can be traced back over 200 years in medical literature (Palmer and Finger, 2001). Currently, ADHD is a diagnosis formulated by the American Psychiatric Association (APA, 1994) on the basis of clinical criteria. The criteria describes chronic behavioral symptoms of inattention, impulsiveness and hyperactivity that are presented to a degree that significantly interfere with a person’s family and peer relations as well as their educational and or occupational functioning. There are, according to the current DSM IV TR criteria, three main sub-types of ADHD: The mainly hyperactive / impulsive sub-type (314.01), the mainly inattentive sub-type (314.00) and the combined hyperactive-impulsive / inattentive sub-type (314.01).
International prevalence...

...treatment. It will discuss how to accurately identify ADHD. It will look at several case studies of treatments for ADHD and the efficacy of the different methods for treatment of ADHD.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Today a common diagnosis for children with attention problems is ADHD. This disorder is thought by some to be overly diagnosed due to parents and teachers that are intolerant of normally active children. There is some debate on how the characteristics of ADHD are manifested in males and females, treatments for the disorder, and the comorbidity of ADHD and other disorders. This paper will examine these issues and describe the role a counselor may play in a client diagnosed with ADHD.
Overview
Society’s concept of ADHD today is relatively new as a diagnosis with more revisions set to be made in the DSM-V due to come out in 2013. Though this diagnosis is a new concept, the idea of hyperactivity and impulsivity in children is not. These types of behaviors were described in early nineteenth century literature. Research and studies on children exhibiting hyperactive and impulsive tendencies along with in-depth research on the brain functioning have led to the current definition and understanding of ADHD.
In 1932 children were often diagnosed with hyperkinetic disease of infancy, this disease’s...

...Kids are being misdiagnosed with ADHD
A Review of ADHD
For the past 100 years how to treat children with ADHD has been among controversy. I am sure you are wondering what is ADHD? Several families have found themselves asking the same questions. ADHD is a common developmental and behavioral disorder. It is characterized by poor concentration, distractibility, hyperactivity, and impulses that are inappropriate for the child's age. Children with ADHD are easily distracted by sights and sounds in their environment, cannot concentrate for long periods of time, are restless and impulsive, or have a tendency to daydream and be slow to complete tasks. (webcenter.health.webmd.netscape.com/content/article/45/1663-51211, 2006). In my research I have found ADHD may be misdiagnosed and mistreated, I do not believe all children that are restless and impulsive in school have ADHD and too many children are misdiagnosed and treated when they should not be. Parents, physicians and researchers are questioning how to define and treat this so called disorder, and this will be addressed in the following four questions.
1. Are schools using ADHD as an easy way out?
2. Are children dying from ADHD medications?
3. Are parents' lifestyles leading professionals to think that many children have...

...Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, also known as ADHD, is one of the most common childhood psychiatric disorders with a prevalence rate of 3 to 5 percent of school-aged children (Worley & Wolraich 2005, p. 1571). The ADHD society of the Philippines, a young and dynamic organization committed to create a loving, understanding and supportive environment for children, adolescents and adults with this disorder has been vigorously pursuing a nationwide awareness campaign on the disorder since its formal organization in 2001. According to their 2006 study, ADHD is said to have 4 percent incidence (more than 3 million) in the total Philippine population (ADHD Society of the Philippines, 2006).
Children with ADHD have boundless energy; they exhibit excessive levels of activity such as restlessness, and fidgeting. They have been described as “perpetual motion machines”- continuously running, jumping, wiggling, or squirming. They experience a greater than average number of accidents, from minor mishaps to more serious incidents that may lead to physical injury or destruction of property. The etiology of ADHD is unknown, but studies have suggested an interaction among psychosocial and biologic factors. The Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders- IV Text Revision (DSM-IV TR) is a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders published by...

...to as “ADHD” , although if recognized early by noticing symptoms this disorder can be properly treated and contained causing minimal troubles for the victim. ADHD will distinguish itself commonly at an early age. There are exceptions to this with ADHD in adults. Some people can go years without noticing their disorder. These people in particular fall to the devastating effects of this disorder. They do have the power in their case to recognize the problem and see a doctor in order to receive treatment. There is a wide array of treatment available for those diagnosed with ADHD. This paper will break down information published by various authors and professionals in the medical field.
How noticeable is ADHD? The answer is ADHD is very noticeable if you are familiar with the symptoms that accompany it. According to Mannering (1998) some of the few symptoms to look out for are inattention, hyperactivity and disorganization. Inattention is when you notice that a person is having a hard time paying attention, usually this involves when a person is missing details and making common mistakes (Mannering, 1998). A child who may have frequent instances instead of just a single occurrence may have ADHD. This is simply because a person with ADHD will have constant symptoms. A person with problems everywhere rather than just at school and not at home should seek medical...

...Disorder
ADHD
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopment disorder commonly associated with a child but can also be detected in adults. ADHD affects ones ability to regulate his/her attention span, impulse, and activity level. ADHD can not be diagnosed by a blood test or brain scan. However, it can be diagnosed by health professionals that form an opinion after observing a child’s behavior and obtaining input from caregivers. Frank (2004, p 16) lists five elements to consider before diagnosing ADHD:
1. Chronic and pervasive problems with inattention and/or impulsivity and/or hyperactivity
2. Onset of symptoms before age seven
3. Symptoms present across settings (e.g., home, school, work, daycare, etc.)
4. Clear evidence of interference with developmentally appropriate social, academic, or occupational functioning
5. Symptoms not accounted for by anther mental disorder (e.g., mood,
disorder, anxiety disorder)
ADHD is defined using three different categories. Each category is based on the level of the primary symptom. Predominantly Inattentative Type (ADHD-I) is referred to when one exhibits strong signs of inattention. Predominately Hyperactive-Impulsive (ADHD-HI) is diagnosed when the primary symptoms are hyperactivity and impulsivity. Then there is the...

...Hyperactivity Disorder
What Causes ADHD/ADD: Genetics, Lifestyle, Environment, Prenatal Care. (n.d.). WebMD – Better information. Better health. Retrieved September 4, 2013, from http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd-causes
According to the WebMD news article, the causes of ADHD are filled with uncertainty. However, the experts believe that there is a strong correlation between ADHD and a genetic component. It appears that children with ADHD have different levels of certain chemicals in the brain. Also, there is an increased risk of having ADHD for babies born with low birth weight as well as children who have been exposed to lead or other environmental infections. Since ADHD beings in early childhood, studies have assumed that ADH tends to run in families. In fact, studies have found that if one or both parents have ADHD, their children are also more likely to develop ADHD. The WebMD News article is reliable since the content of health information are written by the award-winning medical staffs who have professional expertise in medicine, journalism, health communication and content creation. This source is aimed toward for both parents and children who may have interest in learning about the causes of ADHD.
Greenan, A. (n.d.) . Attention Deficit Hyperactivitiy Disorder (ADHD). DrGreene.com –...